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In a big development from the world of football, Chelsea Football Club has been charged by the Football Association (FA) in England for 74 alleged rule breaches in relation to agent payments from 2009 to 2022. It is understood that the matter is specifically related to 2010-11 to 2015-16 and the breach is connected to agents, intermediaries, and third-party investment in players at Chelsea with the club getting September 19 to send its response on the matter, as reported by BBC Sport.
Notably, the agent payment charges on Chelsea are from the time when Roman Abramovich, a famous businessman from Russia, owned the club from 2003 to 2022. Subsequently, he sold the club to a consortium led by American investor Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital after he was controversially being linked up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which began in early 2022.
The club has demonstrated unprecedented transparency during this process: Chelsea statement
If Chelsea are found guilty, then they will be sanctioned, which could include a fine, transfer embargo, and/or points deduction in the Premier League, but at the same time, their co-operation in the investigation will have a say in it. In their official statement, they wrote, “During a thorough due diligence process prior to completion of the purchase, the ownership group became aware of potentially incomplete financial reporting concerning historical transactions and other potential breaches of FA rules.”
“Immediately upon the completion of the purchase, the club self-reported these matters to all relevant regulators, including the FA. The club has demonstrated unprecedented transparency during this process, including by giving comprehensive access to the club's files and historical data,” Chelsea further added., Moreover, Chelsea have already been fined £8.6 million by UEFA in the summer of 2023 for breaching the Financial Fair Play (FFP) from 2012 and 2019.
As far as the current matter goes, it quite possibly could be in connection with transfers of Samuel Eto’o and Willian joining them in 2013 from Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala.
